


Meanwhile

by ashangel101010



Series: Prisoner Hux and the Resistance's Shadow [11]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Foreshadowing, Gen, Imprisonment, Lies, M/M, Song Lyrics, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28713021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashangel101010/pseuds/ashangel101010
Summary: There is hope.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux & FN-2199 | Nines, Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, C-3PO & Armitage Hux
Series: Prisoner Hux and the Resistance's Shadow [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1487759
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	Meanwhile

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing in the Star Wars universe or anything in any universe; I just like writing stories in that universe.

Meanwhile

*

Main Theme- Dollar Days by David Bowie

*

Armitage Hux knows he’ll find his garden dead. He didn’t tell anyone in his fleet about his garden, though the agrarian technicians probably knew, and his four-and-half-months absence didn’t make matters better. A strange tightness in his throat makes it difficult for him to assess the damage. He has to practice his deep breathing exercises to make it go away. His closet door slides open and the bright lights reveal their fate.

The hai-ka flowers are an orange-yellow of a sunset with crinkling petals. The kubari flowers are an ashy shade compared to their illustrious neighbor, but they hold their head higher than sunflowers. The bloodflowers weep their red pollen all over their earthen pot. Beneath the racks the hold up the flowers lie the foodstuffs. The topato is more orange than the winter carrots right next to it. The chilies are the perfect green to be harvested and turned into chili dumplings.

Armitage weeps at the miracle before him. 

*

He wakes to darkness; the familiar rise of panic reminds him that this is reality. The rote of deep breathing exercises instills in him the calmness to face the day. He then pulls back the covers and hops out of bed. Shelley usually appears from under the bed to rub against his legs, but not today. He makes his bed like in the Academy days and then heads for the ‘fresher. He emerges ten minutes later with a clean body and empty bladder.

The armoire was carved from Kashyyyk trees and the handles came from gold mined from a slave planet. Armitage feels this Imperial extravagance is wasted on a man with only three outfits and a week’s worth of boxer-briefs and socks. Of his three outfits, he chooses the hand-me-down from Luke Skywalker. White is his favorite color after all.

The next hour is devoted to morning exercises that keep his form limber and bring warmth throughout his body.

A guard knocks on the door, a warning for him to be decent, and Armitage lies on the floor like a starfish.

“Your hair is like before.” The guard comments. Normally, the guards just bring his meals or take away his laundry without saying a word.

“……” He didn’t know how to respond to this irregularity, but the guard leaves without say anything else. He gets up and feels for the slot with the metal spoon. He finds it and a knife beneath it. Armitage feels a headiness from the discovery; he isn’t allowed knives, perhaps fearing an _accident_. He stores the knife into his boot for safekeeping. He takes up the spoon and tackles his bland breakfast.

*

Ben gazes at himself before the full-length mirror. He wears an outfit inspired by his mother’s iconic white outfit, but with splashes of Alderaan blue amongst the white and made it far more form-fitting, much to his mother’s disapproval. His belt is an homage to his mother’s chancellery wave necklace that he long ago broke in a childish fit of rage. His feet are clad in white, low-heel boots modeled after a pair that Padmé Amidala once owned. He’s supposed to be on his way to Arkanis, schmoozing the Centrists for information on the FO and, perhaps, on Hux’s family. And he will do that, but, first, he needs to pay Hux a visit.

To let a few things off his chest.

The guards posted at the door let him through, but one guard eyes him strangely. Perhaps, his mother told this one to make sure nothing _scandalous_ happens in there.

Dread pounds through his ears as he finally enters Hux’s room. Hux wears the all-white number he got from Luke and stands by the barred windows. His cloudy eyes are closed as he soaks in the morning sun like a plant starved for it. He’s so still that Ben wonders if Hux is meditating in his unique way.

“Prince Organa, is that you? I can smell starblossom.” 

“It’s me.”

“I haven’t heard your voice in a while just like Kylo’s.”

_Does he suspect the truth?_

“I can’t account for his whereabouts, but I’ve been shuttling between Hapes and Naboo. The _King Father_ sends his regards.” _Well, after cursing me and Luke in perfect Naboo._

“Why do you say Jacen’s title like that? Did he spit in your custard bread?” Hux finally looks his way with a frown.

“Because there was no such thing as _King Father_ on Hapes until recently.”

“Tenel is the Queen Mother. If she wants her husband to be her equal, she can do that. Any word on their child?”

“They’re going to have a girl.”

“Then, Hapes must be celebrating their new heir.” Hux loses his frown and adopts a blank mask.

“They haven’t announced it publically yet.”

“So family only. I guess that means you’ve wormed your way into their good graces.” Hux smirks.

“More like I found out through the Force. If I had to hazard a guess, the girl will be Force-sensitive.”

“Maybe Grandpa Luke will have another Jedi to train.”

“Doubtful.” _Jacen’s green-gold eyes burn with hatred at the mention of Luke’s name. He’d never leave his child alone with Luke, let alone go to his Praxeum._

“You got a point there. Let’s hope Luke has raised some knights by then because I doubt Tenel would let their daughter go to Dathomir for Force-training.”

“Why? The Nightsisters are dead, and Crimson Dawn no longer has a base there.”

“It’d bring up too many bad memories for Tenel.”

“I see.” _I know her mother was from Dathomir, part of the Singing Mountain clan. She was assassinated through the machinations of Ta’a Chume, her mother-in-law and the former Queen Mother. She even arranged the assassinations of her first-born son and her second son’s first fiancée for the sake of her throne. I’m actually surprised that Tenel would want to raise her daughter on Hapes considering all the familial bloodshed._

“So where are you going next? New Alderaan? Chandrila?”

“Arkanis, actually.”

“You’re going to milk some information from Centrists there because why else would you got that rain-drenched cesspool!” Hux exclaims rather heatedly.

“Force, your childhood there must’ve been horrible.”

“Did your mother told you that? Or does the New Republic run purely on speculations and rumors?”

“I can feel your _hatred_ of Arkanis in the Force.”

“I didn’t hate all of it! Most of it was because of the rain.” 

_You’re hiding something there. It’s not just the rain. Something happened there. Maybe something that will make you crack and confess the truth._

“I guess you don’t want a souvenir.”

“Actually, I do. Maratelle is there, and she has something that I do want.”

“Maratelle? As in the Commandant’s lawful wife?”

“Ex-wife. They got divorced shortly before we left for the Unknown Regions.”

“What is it you want from her?”

“My best friend.”

*

Threepio nearly collides with Master Ben, but the impetuous human brushes him aside and doesn’t even say hello. How rude! But he should be used to this by now. Prince— _General_ Leia rarely chastises her son anymore; something about him being an adult and having to learn things himself, but, in Threepio’s assessment, the General is far too tired to deal with her son’s antics. It’s like the halcyon days of the Rebellion, but far more isolating since half of the New Republic is content with letting the First Order run amok.

“Threepio, is that you?” Master Hux calls out from his seat at the small, round table. He prefers having the Huttese lessons there; it reminded him of his Academy days, he once dreamily said. 

“Yes, Master Hux!”

“Is Ben gone?”

“Yes, he is. Would you like me to get him?”

“No. We’re done talking, and he’s going to be late for another party.” He sniffs. “Besides, he’s being beastly today.”

“He almost knocked me down on my way here.” Threepio admits. He has often complained about the occasional mistreatment to others, particularly to Master Luke, but he always gets interrupted by someone else or by danger. Master Hux _listens_ to him without ever interjecting.

“He really should apologize for that.” The human says sympathetically.

“Master Ben is busy.” _I must remember that he and the General are doing all of this for the galaxy. My feelings are trifle compared to that._

“I was busy too, but I knew to apologize when I ran into someone, even to the mouse droids.” 

It is so nice to have someone on his side.

*

Nines wakes to a blur of black and red. Once his eyes adjust to the dim lights, he realizes that he’s in an Imperial holding cell. He sits up too fast, aggravating his stiff limbs, and realizes that he’s still wearing his armor. But his helmet, utility belt, weapons, and even his identification plaque are gone. He finally remembers what happened.

_That pfassking smuggler! He stunned me, but at least I got to punch him in his perfect face! And then he stunned me. Twice. Kriff, he must’ve sold us to the Resistance! We must be trapped in one of their bases. And of course those insidious scumbags would use an abandoned Imperial bases as one of their hideouts! Pfassking rats!_

He slams his fist down on the metal slate. Then, he breathes in and out.

_Punching metal isn’t going to get me outta here. I still don’t know where Eight-Seven is. Is it possible he’s in a cell right next to me? No, they can’t be that sloppy. Or are they? The Resistance are hardly ruled by logic and order; they’re agents of Chaos._

He pounds on the walls, hoping for something, but all he receives is silence. He then opens his mouth to scream Eight-Seven’s name.

_“The bitter nerve is never enough, I’m falling down!”_

His heart twists painfully in his chest. He knows this song; he’s heard it enough time when he patrolled by the General’s quarters. He thought it came from a music player, but it’s coming through the vents.

_“Don’t believe for one second I’m forgetting you!”_

But, no, it’s live.

_“I’m trying to.”_

General Hux is here!

_“I’m dying too…”_

*

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Comments- Here is the link: 
> 
> The song lyrics that Nines hears Hux sings is from David Bowie’s “Dollar Days” and here is the link of the audio: [Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqW-kvU5cLg)
> 
> Ben’s white boots are based on those that Padmé wore to Geonosis in Attack of the Clones. 
> 
> A bit of a change of plans here. This was supposed to be the action chapter, but I decided to delay it for the sake of build-up and some more world building. There is some drama though. I also finally got to write Threepio’s POV! I love his character and hate how poorly he was treated in TRoS (another reason for me to dislike the movie) by the New Trio; it made the New Trio look like assholes rather than being a comedic scene like Abrams probably intended it to be. 
> 
> Next one-shot will most likely be about Ben’s time on Arkanis and getting Hux’s best friend, while Finn and Rey talk to each other.


End file.
